Watch Our Words Spread Hope Like Fire
by KittensMeow
Summary: A young women finds herself dealing with lots of emotions when she is given a new mission to join the akastuki. Update: Improving :
1. Chapter 1

Hi I got this idea from a dream I had. It was a great dream and I feel like I could write a really great story about it! My problem is that my writing skills are very horrible. I really feel like I could have fun making this. So I'm going to give it a shot! Bare with me people! The best way to learn is with practice! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated :)

I'm going to warn right away that the main-ish character in this story is an OC. I know a lot of people are not into that.

That is pretty much all I'm going to say! I'll start with a pretty short first chapter to get a feel for it :)

* * *

Tsunade is finally alone in her office. She looks at the pile and can feel tears forming in her eyes. Regretting her job, she pours herself a drink. Soon after she hears a nock at her door.

_"Come in"_ she called out

A creepy faced man with brown hair dressed in the usual shinobi attire walks in.

_"Who are you?" _She asked surprised to see someone she doesn't recognized.

_"I go by Yamato"_

_"State your business"_

_"We have word of a large bandit hang out near the leaf village"_ He hands her a paper of there exact coordinates.

_"How did you find this?"_ She looks shocked. These bandits have been causing trouble around the village for quite some time.

_"The Anbu spy got information from one of there own bandits"_ He says proudly.

_"The Anbu spy?"_ She asked confused

_"Yes, we have a trained spy out there finding out locations and information of criminals"_

_"How come I don't know about this! I'm the hokage!" _She wasn't happy with the anbu hiding missions from her.

_"My lady, I personally delivered an envelope explaining everything about this mission to your desk a few weeks after you became hokage"_

Tsunade digs into her memory, trying to remember if she's ever seen it. But all she remembers is her skipping some of the work she was supposed to do. She must have just skipped that envelope.

_"Explain this mission to me Yamato"_ She was eager to find out more.

_"Yes Ma'am. This is and extremely confidential mission, it was organised by my branch of the anbu and the third hokage, We chose our spy thanks the characteristics of her personality and because she was in debt to our village"_

_"She? What is her name and what do you mean debt?"_

_"Her name is Mari Etsuko. The debt.. Well…. That is something that was kept secret between her and the third"_

_"Ma… Mari Etsuko? She's the spy?"_

Tsunade is shocked. She remembers meeting her at a bar. They talked for a while and even went to gamble together later in the night.

_"how is she a spy? She's so loud, obnoxious and attracts attention wherever she goes!"_

_"If I may ma'am she was on a mission back then, It was to find… and get info …on you. That's the trick, her personality type is completely wrong for this type of mission which means…."_ He gets interrupted by the hokage.

_"I didn't suspect a thing…. Her name even appears in the books as an ex-anbu from Konoha, banned from the village… This is Fantastic news!"_ She looks straight into the mans eyes _" So I imaging that her trying to burn down the school and the hokages mansion was a fake story correct? How do we get the info from her?"_

_"Correct, everybody but you and my division thinks that she is a criminal. Mari and a few members of my team, including me, are able to communicate using only our minds. So every Friday we send one person from my team to a chosen public location. Mari goes there as well. They sit at different tables and she tells him all she knows , then they choose another location for next Friday"_

_"This is genius! Can she get info on the Akatsuki?"_ She is very excited at the opportunity.

_"Ma'am she has been ordered to stay away from them"_

_"By who and how come?"_

_"The Akastuki have been trying to recruit her for over a year. She is constantly changing locations making sure they don't trace her foot steps. The Third ordered this ma'am." _He knows what's going to happen. He's been expecting it since the Akatsuki have been on the move lately.

Recruit her… Tsunade came up with what she thinks is a great idea.

_"Well I am the Fourth hokage and I'm in control now. I want info from the inside."_

* * *

Mari is passed out on her bed when suddenly she hears a knock on her hotel room door. She opens her eyes suddenly and sits in her bed.

_"Go away!"_ She yells at the door

They knock again. She stands up and is immediately hit by her hang over. While walking towards the door she swears and tries to fix her blond hair. She gets to the door, sighs and opens it. two Familiar faces are at her door.

_"Kisame, Itachi, I'm hung over I'm not in the mood for this. Go AWAY"_

_"Mari you know we cant do that"_ Kisame says in a cocky tone.

_"fuck…."_ she backs up, moves to the side and invites them into her room.


	2. Chapter 2

Kisame and Itachi walk into Mari's hotel room. There is clothes all over the floor and an empty bottle of rum on the table.

"Seems you had lots of fun last night Mari" Kisame noted as he stared at the room.

"You have no idea" she smiled to herself. She actually cant remember part of her night. "do you guys want a drink?"

"I'll tak…" Kisame started but was interrupted by Itachi.

"Lets get straight to business, Mari you know why we're here, so lets make this easy and just come with us," He knew this wouldn't work but he hates the small talk that Kisame and Mari have every time they come to recruit her.

"Shut up!" She looked into his eyes.

She's usually good at avoiding his eyes. Those eyes hold so many memories, Good and Bad. They were team 20 along with Totoya the third member who remains a respected shinobi of the leaf village. Mari and Totoya would probably not be nearly as strong if it wasn't for training with the Uchiha. The trio shared many great memories but there was a huge shadow over them. He killed his entire clan including the love of her life Shisui Uchiha.

"Sorry…" She looks away from his eyes. _Now is not the time to think about the past_. "I'm just trying to catch up with you guys. Its been a while since you guys have found me"

Itachi also had the same problem when he looked into her dark brown eyes. They reminded him of how happy they used to be, of his good friend Totoya and his best friend Shisui. Her eyes are changing though, they used to be warm and somewhat comforting, like not all was lost from his past, now… They almost look sad, permanently sad and cold.

"It's been three months since the last time. We found you by accident that time" Kisame seemed to not notice anything.

"This time it was no accident, you usually never stay at one place more then one day" Itachi said looking towards the window.

"Well on my first night here I met a really nice guy and he asked me to go out with him last night. I couldn't refuse! He was a 10!" Mari went back to her cocky tone.

Kisame was eager to hear more. It was always like this when they would meet, they had a weird relationship. He noticed Itachi's mood and decided to just go ahead with business.

"Mari are you gonna make this easy or are we going to have to knock you out" Kisame started reaching for his sword.

"Why does the akatsuki want me so bad anyway" She already knew why but she loved hearing them say it.

"Because of your Kekkei Genkai the Kajiseishi"

The Kajiseishi runs in the Etsuko clans blood. Basically its complete control of fire. The person with this strength can fully manipulate fire, can make fire out of nowhere, can not get hurt by normal flame and can engulf themselves in flame for defense. It is very powerful but it also has its weaknesses. The main one being water attacks and enemies.

"Our leader knows you'll be very useful in our team" Kisame added

Mari looks out the window and reflex back to the last meeting she had with one of her team mates. She was given new orders and she was going to follow them.

"Alright… You win… I'm in" She said still looking away. She was going to miss her wondering lifestyle and was scared of what this was gonna bring.

"I'm tired of being alone all the time" She looks at her fake team mates. "So what happens now?"

* * *

The trio walk out of the city and start there long journey towards the hideout. The sun was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There were a lot of questions to be asked and answered when they got to there destination, but one question was too important to wait.

"When do I get one of the stupid looking coats" Mari asked innocently.

"There not stupid!" Kisame was insulted, he liked them.

* * *

**Ok so here is Chapter 2. I really do apologize for the grammar and spelling errors. Don't worry i will be continuing with t****here past and more info will be given on the Etsuko clan and there kekkei genkai**. **I would love some feed back :) i want to learn to write better because i actually do enjoy it. Maybe i should of paid more attention in school :/**

**One more thing! They will not always be this short! ^_^  
**


	3. Chapter 3

The walk is very uneventful. Kisame and Itachi don't talk much. All this silence is getting to Mari's head. She keeps reminding herself of the past that she tries so hard to forget. She misses Totoya so much that it hurts her physically. Last time she saw him was when she was "escorted" out of the village. The look on his face still haunts her sleep. In those green eyes she saw his world crashing down.

Mari feels herself start to cry. The boys are in front so they can't see her face. Luckily she has short legs and she can't walk very fast.

"Are you crying?" Kisame asks her looking shocked, they had stopped walking

Itachi turns around to see the blond's face marked with tears. He knew what was going on because he too was emotionally drained, he was just better at hiding it. Memories of Totoyas cocky personality and that even though Itachi was easily the strongest of the three Totoya still got to be the leader. _I guess I see why now… he's the only one still there. _The memory that sticks out the most is the one of Shisui. Itachi looked up to him, they were best friends. They would push each other so hard, they could barely get out of the training field. Mari would always go see Shisui after his training and help him to his feet. He would act more tired than he actually was so that he could lean on her and get closer. _He Loved her so much…._

"Leave her alone Kisame." Itachi started walking again, Kisame followed.

"I have allergies!" Mari called out at them .

* * *

The sun is setting and they decide to set up camp. Mari handles the fire, Kisame makes the water and all three go hunting. At the end of the night Itachi has caught 2 rabbits, Kisame 5 fish and Mari nothing. They sit around the fire.

"Mari you caught NOTHING?" Kisame wasn't impressed.

"Wha? I wasn't into it ugh!"

"We're not sharing our findings!" Kisame says while bringing all the food towards himself.

"Without me you wouldn't have any fire!" Mari says frowning

"Yes we would." Itachi smiles slightly and hands her a fish. It was like this back then also, she was always pretty lazy. Mari thanks him and gives the finger to Kisame.

* * *

The night is very dark, the moon and the stars were blocked by clouds. Kisame and Itachi sleep around the fire while Mari sits next to the lake, her back against a big rock. She makes a little fire so she can stay warm. She can't sleep, she had to much on her mind. She opens her tool belt and takes out a flask. She takes a drink and lets herself get lost in the warm, calming feeling.

* * *

Itachi Is woken up by a nightmare that is sadly also reality. All the images of that night have taken away many nights of sleep. He sits up and looks around and notices that Mari isn't around the fire. He notices another source of light on this dark night. He decides to go explore it. Once he gets there he finds Mari passed out, her back against the wall, her arms sprawled on each side of her and a flask still open on the floor next to her. He smells it and feels the stinging feeling of hard liquor on his nostrils. _This is not like her… I don't like it… _He grabs the flask and empties the rest of its content on the floor and pours water in it. He takes off his coat and puts it on her, walks back to camp were he tries to fall back asleep.

* * *

Morning came and Kisame was the first awake. He decided to go get some fish and cook some up for breakfast. He walks towards the lake and see's Mari still asleep under Itachis coat. He jumps in the lake and starts fishing. About twenty minutes passed he notices Mari kneeling on all fours throwing up in the lake. Kisame laughs.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." He calls out to her.

"Fuck you…" She passes out face first in the lake.

Kisame runs towards her laughing insanely. He picks her up and bring her towards the camp. Now that Mari is wet her fire doesn't work anymore. He lays her on the floor on her side and wakes up Itachi.

"Itachi, Mari's feeling a bit under the weather," He points at the girl, "we need another fire."

Itachi uses his fire jutsu to start another fire. The boys have breakfast and Itachi explains to Kisame what he saw in the middle of the night. They put water on the fire and Kisame puts Mari over his shoulder and they set off on the road again.

* * *

"It's going to rain at any moment Itachi." Kisame states as he points to the sky

"We're gonna keep going through the rain, we're gonna make it there by sundown."

"You're not the one carrying the girl."

"Quit whining I probably weigh less then your sword." Mari says insulted.

"How long have you been awake?" Kisame says a he drops her to the floor.

"Not long… I need to wash." Mari looks at what seems to be vomit in her hair.

"You'll wash when we get to the hide out, we're not to far." Itachi puts out his hand to stand her up.

At that moment the rain starts and the trio continue there journey.

* * *

The sun is setting and they finally make it to their destination. Mari was impressed by the boys' sense of direction, she would have definitely gotten lost. Usually she travels by one of her fire creations, a fire phoenix. She manipulates the fire into its shape and gives it some of her chackra so it can move. It's a risk using this, If it were to start raining while she is in the sky ,she would fall to her death.

The hideout is built into the mountain. The front entrance is just a large door built right into the mountain itself. Itachi walks up to the door and pushes it open and the trio walk in

"There's nobody here." Kisame notes.

"Good, I need a shower." Mari looks at Kisame who points her towards the direction of a washroom.

* * *

**A/n: Hey here is chapter 3! I had a bit of help with the writing by my boyfriend :) his account name is Scream109**.

**There is a link at the top of my profile for my deviant art account its got pictures of Mari and Totoya in it so check it out!**

**Feedback is appreciated i want to learn how to improve things!**


	4. Chapter 4

Mari has finally found her destination. The washroom is quite large and seems to only be lit by candles. She looks around and spots a mirror where she looks at her reflection. She has always been complimented for her looks and she is very proud of them too. Something is very wrong with what she is seeing. Her hair is filthy and tangled, but what surprises her most is her face. Back when she was in Konoha with her family and Totoya her face used to be rounded, always smiling and full of life. Now her face is very thin ,sad and almost sickly. She can't stand the face she sees in the mirror and feels her rage building up to the point that she can't control it. She punches the mirror making it shatter into hundreds of pieces. Her right hand has been badly cut, the blood dripping to the floor. Her back is against the wall and she lets herself slip down to the floor. The pain has brought her back to her senses.

* * *

Itachi is laying in his bed tying to get some rest. He hasn't had the best night of sleep because of his nightmares. It's then that he hears a giant crash that seems to be coming from the upstairs washroom. He remembers Mari being extremely clumsy so he'd better go check it out. He goes up the stairs and listens to hear more noise. He can't hear anything so he starts to run .

"Are you ok Mari?" Itachi calls through the door.

"Yes why wouldn't I be?" Mari stares at the puddle of blood on the floor.

"I heard a loud noise and I thought I should check on you"

"Well… I kinda fell. I'm fine though you can leave me alone"

"You know I wont do that." Itachi has always been protective of her because of Shisui. Whenever team 20 would leave for a mission Shisui would make Itachi promise to protect her. He also did care for her, she was like a younger sister.

She manages to stand up and lean on the sink. The room is starting to spin so she grabs the bandages from her right arm revealing a large L shaped scar that she received on a mission a long time ago. She wraps the bandage around her right hand the best she can and opens the door.

"Mari you haven't changed much have you, clumsy as ever." Itachi says looking at the mess and then at her arm, "I remember when you got that scar…."

"Itachi I'm fine, you can stop this, I can take care of myself." she says looking at the floor.

"I know you can take care of yourself, it's just habit. When I'm around you it feels almost like everything is back to normal."

"It'll never be normal again Itachi! You ruined it all! You killed your whole clan! You killed Shisui…" She looks into his eyes. She sees the sharingan but when she looks closer she thinks she sees sadness.

"Mari may I remind you tried to burn down the academy and the hokages mansion." His gaze seems to be entering her mind.

"that's…. that's different! I didn't hurt anybody! That village is stupid and corrupt!" She looks away hoping he didn't notice the pain she feels. She loves her village.

"You have no idea how much people have sacrificed for that village…."

"Yea right… like you would know!"

"Mari….." he puts his hand on her shoulder and she looks at him again. " Trust me…. I do." He grins slightly. He looks at her face and sees her shocked expression. _I think she actually remembers._ Itachi then grabs her injured hand and puts the bandage around it tightly. "I remember doing this exact thing for that scar on your arm, if it wasn't for that kekkei genkei you'd be useless." He finishes up and walks away.

Mari goes back into the washroom and manages to take off her clothes and get in the bath. She leans her head against the side and thinks about what just happened. Shisui used to put his hand on her shoulder and tell her to trust him when she got upset. That Uchiha always kept his promise, everything would always make sense after he said that. _Did Itachi mean anything by that or was it some cruel joke…_

After her bath she goes to see the two boys in the lounging area. Itachi has fallen asleep on the couch and Kisame is sitting on another couch reading a book. She is exhausted and just wants to go to sleep. Kisame gets off the couch and tells her to sleep there. He brings her a blanket and a pillow to try and make it more comfortable. He closes the light and leaves the room.

* * *

The morning after, Mari wakes up excited to start the day. She sits on the couch and sees Itachi still sleeping on the one across the room. He looks so peaceful while he sleeps, she can almost see the old Itachi. This makes her have an extreme urge to prank him. She gets up to go get some shaving cream. She tip-toes out of the room and makes her way up to the washroom. She walks down the stairs to go back towards the lounging room.

"Where are you going with that?" a mysterious voice calls from behind her. Mari turns around and sees a guy with long blond hair and blue eyes.

"I… I… uhhh." She can't find an excuse.

"Spit it out! That's my shaving cream." He looks irritated. Mari walks towards him and he gets into a defensive stance.

"oh relax." She gets closer to him and whispers "I'm going to prank Itachi" She smiles at him and he looks at her like she's nuts.

"You're going to….." Mari shushes him and motions to him to speak more quietly. "Prank Itachi? What are you thinking? Do you want to die?" He stares at her for a moment. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Mari Etsuko I am the new member of the akatsuki and you are?"

"….Deidara….."

"Nice to meet you. Can I borrow your shaving cream?" She looks eager to get going.

"Sure…. I wanna see this." He smiles and closes his eyes. _This should be fun._

"Ok follow me" She smiles back at him and the two make there way to the lounging area.

* * *

**A/N: Hi so I'm really enjoying writing this story i'm much happier with my last two chapters thanks to Scream109. I added another pic on deviant art :) **.com/ **its a pic of team 20 made with a cool character creator since i have no drawing talent at all. **

**Reviewing would be great since i really want to get better and i would like to see if anybody likes my story :)  
**


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